Tag Archives: Coyotes

The Marco Island Police Department and City of Marco Island Environmentalist (Nancy Richie), in conjunction with our partners at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) have created the following summary of coyote related information to educate Island residents and visitors. As development encroaches upon wildlife habitat, encounters between humans and wildlife – including coyotes – are bound to increase. Throughout, Florida, the presence of coyotes has become a common occurrence in natural areas as well as residential areas. In the past year, coyote sightings on Marco Island have increased from rare to regular, particularly in the Barfield Bay ... Read More »

By Nancy Richie Coyotes were introduced in Florida for pursuit by hunting dogs as early as the 1920’s. The coyote’s natural expansion into Florida from then on was inevitable. As coyote numbers increase, concern over their influence on Florida’s indigenous prey species, competing predators, livestock and vegetables has grown. Coyote impact on native wildlife has already been seen in northern Florida where predation on endangered sea turtle eggs is a considerable problem. Much is still unknown, including whether the coyote will have negative effects on recovery of the Florida panther, or if it will fill the panther’s niche in areas ... Read More »